Carajillo cocktail recipe

When we flex the words ‘easy’ and ‘impressive’ to describe this cocktail, we’re not exaggerating or secretly taking you on a 10-ingredient shake-a-thon. This pretty two-toned Carajillo cocktail really (truly!) only requires two ingredients and your best pouring technique, which is just… pouring. If you have coffee on standby, you’re already halfway there. And then, if you pronounce it ‘ca-ra-hiyo’, hey presto – you’re an expert already.  

As a proud member of the duo cocktail family, we know each ingredient needs to be a standalone power house. Apart from the known complexity that is coffee, the other depth – the real depth – comes from the 43 ingredients in Licor 43. Also known as Cuarenta y Tres (‘43’ in Spanish), this golden liqueur was invented in the 1940s by the Zamora family. A recipe still guarded by the same family in the same town of Cartagena in Spain, this secret blend of citrus fruit and botanicals produces a distinctly honeyed vanilla-like flavour with hints of cocoa and a spicy edge.

The origin of this cocktail hits some points of contention – perhaps it was an early-morning drink in Spanish bars (in the same vein as Irish coffee), or made by Spanish soldiers in Cuba during the occupation (then named coraje meaning ‘courage’), mixing coffee with rum instead. Or maybe both? What we can confirm is that it’s now a very popular drink – there’s barely a drinks list without one in the US – and it’s also a big thing in Mexico, where you can request it to be made ‘shaken or layered’ (leave ‘stirred’ at the door). It effortlessly toes the line between sweet spiced liqueur and fragrant bitter-leaning coffee, all with just two ingredients. Magic.

The big question when you’re serving a Carajilo is whether you want it shaken or layered (or shakeado or puesto, as you would specify in your order in Mexico, FYI). Both have their own merits: where layered is extra smooth – and detailed in our recipe here – shaken is lighter and more velvety due to the aeration that comes from shaking. It’s a textural decision you can call the shots on.

To make this as a shaken drink, we aren’t entering any unknown territory. Just shake all the ingredients together in a cocktail shaker with ice until the tin is frosty, then strain into a glass over a large ice cube. We also like a pinch of salt in the shaken drink – it adds a little something-something. Finish with three coffee beans placed on top or grate them over – it’s up to you.

Solidify Licor 43’s place on your bar cart (so you can also make this Sticky Date cocktail), or trade it out for Frangelico or Tuaca. If you’d rather not caffeinate yourself but still want all the coffee flavour, decaffeinated is more than welcome, particularly if you’re drinking this cocktail as a post-dinner digestif, which is how it’s most commonly enjoyed.